This invention is an automated system and method for locating and purchasing products or services having desired characteristics. The invention is particularly useful in purchasing computer equipment and computer services, but is not limited to use in any one field.
Locating and purchasing equipment, especially technical products such as computer equipment, can be tedious and time-consuming. Each type of product may be available from several different manufacturers, and each manufacturer may sell its products through a large number of distributors. The prices of the products, in general, vary considerably from one manufacturer to another, even after taking into consideration the variations in the specifications of products of different makers. More importantly, the same product may be sold at widely disparate prices by different distributors. Thus, a user who wants to find a desired product, having a set of minimum specifications, at the lowest price, must consult the catalogs of a myriad of vendors, and may also need to spend considerable time on the telephone or in personal visits to stores. The difficulty of this process makes it unlikely that the average purchaser, or even the more sophisticated purchaser, will truly obtain the best price.
The process of purchasing products of various kinds has been eased somewhat by the introduction of computerized shopping systems. For example, the CompuServe Consumer Information Service provides a computerized shopping service known as the "Electronic Mall". The latter service allows a user to select a category of merchandise, and to place an order for certain items, listed on the system, within that category.
The computerized shopping services of the prior art make it convenient to order products, because the ordering can be done without a personal visit, a telephone call, or a written communication. But such electronic shopping services of the prior art have been limited to filling orders for products known in advance to the user. They do not provide much help to the user who is not sure about the products available, and their specifications, but who wants to search for products having the lowest price and which fulfill certain requirements. Thus, the systems of the prior art are essentially equivalent to the old method of consulting individual catalogs or visiting individual stores.
The present invention provides an automated system, which not only permits a user to order products or services directly by computer, but also allows the user to determine the best price available for a product or service meeting a set of specifications. Thus, the present invention provides a system which eliminates the need for the user to consult hundreds or thousands of suppliers.